Cities fit for cycling

The Times has launched a campaign to improve cycle safety following the serious injury to a reporter on the paper. An 8 point manifesto has been published, with the focus on lorries, junctions, cycle infrastructure and 20 mph as the default urban speed limit.

In November last year Mary Bowers, a journalist at The Times, was crushed by a lorry while cycling to work in east London. She remains in hospital unconscious 3 months on.

In response to this horrific event her colleagues on the paper have now launched a major campaign[3] to increase safety for cyclists in Britain. In doing so they have taken advice from CTC and other organisations and come up with an 8 point plan of action.

In response to this horrific event her colleagues on the paper have now launched a major campaign[3] to increase safety for cyclists in Britain. In doing so they have taken advice from CTC and other organisations and come up with an 8 point manifesto for action. The 8 points include:

Trucks entering a city centre should be required by law to fit sensors, audible warnings when turning and extra mirrors and under-running guards - closely following CTC's briefing on goods vehicles.[4]

On major roads, the manifesto calls for the 500 most dangerous road junctions to be identified, redesigned or fitted with priority traffic lights for cyclists, plus other safety measures. Since almost three quarters of cycle casualties occur at junctions, tackling bad junctions can do most to improve safety.

£100m a year should be spent on high quality cycle facilities, taken from the budget for major roads.

Driver training needs to be overhauled to include cycle training.

Audit cycling levels to ensure we have a clear picture of levels of cycling.

CTC have been calling for similar issues for many years[6] and hope that this campaign will help push national authorities to commit to both increasing cycling whilst at the same time ensuring that cycle safety improves. Pledge your support on the Times's website.[3]